Eggoist multi-level system of floor equipment for commercial poultry maintenance

Abstract

EGGOIST multi-level floor equipment system for commercial poultry maintenance combining the advantages of poultry's free-range run with periodical automated manure removal feature of the cage housing method. The optimum dimensions of the aviary body frame are calculated as per special formulae for the length and width depending on the nest type and arrangement. EGGOIST equipment system allows to improve the microclimate parameters of the aviary, to ensure the consistently high sanitary and hygienic conditions and the lowering of egg-laying hens' morbidity rate, and to dramatically increase production rates per farmland area unit.

Description

[0001]This application claims priority to Ukrainian application a201805319UA, which was filed on 15 May 2018, and which is herein incorporated by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONField of the Invention[0002]The invention relates to aviculture, in particular to equipment for commercial poultry maintenance comprising automated systems for poultry life support, egg collection and manure removal.Description of the Background Art[0003]At present, commercial poultry production widely uses cages for housing laying hens, when birds is constantly kept in battery cages, e.g. in tiered cages or runs equipped with feeding and drinking appliances, manure removal, heating and ventilating devices. A battery cage for housing egg-laying hen breeds contains nesting areas where eggs are laid. Eggs are carried by a conveyor from the nesting area to an egg collection area where they are further processed and prepared for transporting. Manure removal in battery cages is usually provided by a built-in...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015]Due to the fact that the floor on each level is meshed, the need to use the regular litter no longer exists. The manure dropped by the poultry does not get onto the solid covering, but is trampled by the hens through the mesh and dropped on the manure belt. Thus, poultry's long-term contact with manure is almost completely excluded. The poultry's waste products can be removed from the aviary with any required frequency, as a rule daily, while there is no need to move the birds anywhere for the time of cleaning. The absence in the floor plane of mechanical details moving during cleaning in the direction perpendicular to the transporter belt movement reduces the risk of bird injury. Service walkways within one level may be brought out to the perimeter of the aviary guards and substantially narrowed or obviated altogether, as, in contrast to battery cages, there is no need to pull the moving parts of the cage floor into the walkways in the EGGOIST system. The minimization of service walkways allows using the overall level area more intensively.

[0016]To meet the poultry's natural physiological needs, 15 to 30% of the total floor area on each level is covered by solid covering forming the natural fitter area, which allows to maximally bring the poultry housing conditions to the natural habitat. When the floor method of housing laying hens is used, 1 square meter of litter emits up to 25 mg of ammonia, 15 mg of hydrogen sulfide and 8 mg of carbon dioxide per hour. Control measurements in the aviary fitted with EGGOIST multilevel floor equipment system (manufacturing and experimental plot of TEXHA Production Association, Novohrad-Volynsky, Zhytomyr region) showed that gas emission per 1 square meter of the area is reduced to 8 mg of ammonia, 5 mg ofhydrogen sulfide and 5 mg of carbon dioxide per hour, i.e. by a factor of two to three. The substantial reduction of the content of harmful impurities in the air reduces the probability of infecting the birds and allows to fully or partially discontinuing the use of antibiotics and other veterinary preparations. Minimizing the poultry's contact with manure decreases the risk of helminthes infestation. On the whole, the microclimate in an aviary equipped with EGGOIST equipment system improves noticeably and may be sustained within the parameters optimal for healthy poultry housing: stable temperature, humidity 60 to 70%, dust content not exceeding 8%, carbon dioxide content in air ≤0.25%, ammonia content ≤15 mg / m3.

[0017]Due to the presence of a natural fitter area in the EGGOIST equipment system and the improvement of the aviary microclimate as a whole, the poultry has more freedom to move, which excludes the development of hypodynamia, strengthens the birds' skeleton and muscular system, exercises their wings and conduces to strengthening of the immune system. The injury and mortality levels of the poultry decreases, as the hens have no possibility to move from one level to another, which is the case in multi-level battery cages. The healthy housing conditions of the poultry increase its egg-laying capacity.

Problems solved by technology

However, housing poultry in cages is characterized by a high cage density, which substantially limits the bird's ability to move.

This leads to deterioration of its condition, increases in morbidity and reduces its productive lifespan.

Multi-tier cage constructions are also the cause of increased rate of poultry injuries, including while conducting technological operations.

Among the disadvantages of caging poultry is also the necessity to have sufficiently wide service walkways between cages on one tier and to use manual labor for cleaning.

Considering that floors in cages (aviaries) are meshed, manure from upper tiers partially falls onto the poultry on lower tiers, and the poultry's movement from one tier to another increases its injury and mortality rate.

However, the non-use of cages and free-range run of poultry on a relatively large territory leads to practically all of the territory being intensively contaminated.

Ammonia content exceeding 15 mg / m3 causes poultry kill.

This increases the probability of poultry catching infectious diseases and affects the microclimate in the aviary.

Removing diseased or dead poultry from the aviary requires manual labor.

All this requires an increase of the proportion of manual labor and energy consumption and has a negative effect on the product's prime cost and quality.

Additionally, free movement of the poultry in open or relatively open space leads to occurrence of the possibility of some number of eggs being laid outside the nesting area, and these eggs remain unattended until operating personnel inspects the aviary and collects the eggs laid outside the nests.

As a result, a certain amount of produce is lost.

Moreover, the eggs collected in open areas of the aviary may be infested by bacteria and helminthes due to having been resting in manure for several days.

Such eggs are unfit for human consumption, which results to their lower price.

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